SIDDHARTHA HERO CYCLE

Step 1: Call to Adventure 

Quote: "He had begun to feel that his father and his mother's love, even the love of his dear
friend Govinda, wouldn't bring him to enduring happiness, wouldn't bring him entertainment and
satisfaction, and wouldn't be sufficient for his needs" (pg 5).

Explanation: Inside this excerpt, it is not hard to see that Siddhartha isn't satisfied with his
current way of life. He feels like the things surrounding him, including his family's love, isn't good
enough. He also can feel that there is something that is absent from his life, and that it is his
duty to find it. Siddhartha feels that in order for him to feel happy, he has to explore and search
for what actually satisfies him.

I feel this is definitely is his "Call to Adventure" in Siddhartha's hero adventure. He has a gut
feeling telling him that he needs to venture out and go on his journey. Siddhartha is led into the
hero journey, by his thoughts he has, like the one above. The Call is such an important step
within the journey, because it is the first step, where it all begins, and without this step there
wouldn't be a hero cycle story.

Step 2: Refusal of The Call 

Quote: Refusal - "It isn't fitting for a Brahman to speak hard and angry words, yet in my heart I
can't accept this. Do not let this request cross your lips a second time" (pg 10).

Acceptance: "'You will go off to the forest, 'he said, 'and become a samana. If you will find
happiness...'" (pg 12).

Explanation: It isn't Siddhartha who directly refuses the call, but rather his father refuses the call
for him. He dad the Brahman, doesn't want Siddhartha to do into the forest and become a
samana. After a while, he realizes Siddhartha isn't going to give up the idea of going into the
wild to become a samana, and he finally accepts and Siddhartha finally can begin his journey.

This is a main role in the hero cycle journey because is isn't just something that makes the story
interesting, but it shows that Siddhartha is detaching from his normal life, to carry on his journey.

Step 3: Supernatural Aid 

Quote: "His desire was to follow Siddhartha, the beloved, the magnificent... Govinda would
follow him-as his new friend, as his companion, as his servant, his spear bearer, his shadow"
(pg 40).

Explanation: Govinda is Siddhartha's best friends. He cherishes him and was willing to help him
during his journey. Govinda knows that Siddhartha will be important when he is older, and he
feels if he sticks around with him long enough, he too will be successful. Govinda becomes his
companion when Siddhartha goes on his journey.

Aid is an important aspect in a Hero's life, also for their adventure. The Aid helps the person
reach their ultimate goal throughout the journey, while also becoming the Hero's sidekick figure.

Step 4: Crossing of The Threshold 

Quote: "That I know nothing of myself, that Siddhartha remains so alien and unknown to
me-there is one cause for this, just one: I was afraid of myself, I was running away from myself! I
was looking for Atman, I was looking for Brahma..." (pg 40).

Explanation: Siddhartha is in the middle of transforming into his new self from his old self; the
difference from the known and the unknown. Siddhartha must rethink so many things and find a
different way to direct him to what he is looking for. He makes up his mind, that he no longer
needs the teachings from the samana. He needs to be able to get past, his "self" in order to
make is goal.

Crossing the Threshold is important because it one of the first major conflicts of the story. This
conflict makes the reader have to rethink, and put themselves in the position of being lost or
confused. After crossing the threshold the hero may gain strength and knowledge which could
be useful throughout the journey.

Step 5: Road of Trials 

Quote: "...having chosen the life of the samanas; and again, when he left the samanas to go to
the Perfect One, and also when he left him to push on into the unknown" (pg 83).

Explanation: Siddhartha goes through different events, but none seem to satisfy him. He
switches on to different things, like the samanas and the Perfect One. These are some of
Siddhartha's road of trials
This is an important step of the hero cycle, because they can make the hero better,
stronger,and even more prepared. In Siddharth, he gains knowledge with every test which
should become very useful.

Step 6: The Temptress 

Quote: " But he kept coming back to the beautiful Kamala" (pg 73).

Explanation: The temptress keeps/tries to keep the hero from being able to access their original
goal.The temptress lures in the hero and makes it very hard for them to escape them. Kamala in
Siddhartha, Kamala is the temptress. Kamala teaches Siddhartha how to love, which is the
reason he stayed so long. It took him an excessive amount of time to figure out that this isn't the
best place for him. Kamala probably probably didn't keep Siddhartha there on purpose.

Step 7: The Ultimate Boon 

Quote: "'You achieved it?' she asked. 'You found Peace?' Se smiled and laid his hands on hers
'I see it, ' she said, 'I see it. I too will find peace'" (pg 113).

Explanation: Siddhartha, ever since his youth, has wanted to find "peace and perfection." He
was finally able to find what he wanted at the river with the ferryman, and Kamala could see
that, through the changes in his eyes and other things that gave it away.

The Ultimate Boone shows where the Hero has finally found their goal. Meaning that the journey
is coming to an end, even though it never actually ends. For Siddhartha to be satisfied, he
needed to find his peace, and he did.

Step 8: Freedom to Live 

Quote: "'And when I learned that, I looked at my life, and it too was a river...'" (pg 106)

​Explanation: Siddhartha learned that a river is continuous and tells no time, and he compared it
to his life. Throughout his journey, he realized like never really ended, or tell time.
This is significant to notice because it shows that even though the book was almost over,
Siddhartha's journey wasn't, which can relate to all of the heroes.

GRINCH HERO CYCLE

Step 1: Call to Adventure 

Evidence: There are some teen Who's that keep bothering the Grinch. Which forces the Grinch
to come down from Mount Crumpit, where he finds a girl bugging him in the post office
(00:04:34).

Explanation: We can see from the beginning that he is grumpy, and probably a villain, but if you
look deeper (theme of the movie) you can see that is more than that. The Grinch gets his call
probably several times but this is what leads him to meet Cindy Lou, where she then dominates
him.

Step 2: Refusal to The Call 

Evidence: He dumps Cindy Lou in the sorting machine at the post office and refused to go to the
Jubilation, but ends up going (00:11:24).

​Explanation: The Grinch doesn't want to be noticed by the Whoville people so he hides and
dumps Cindy Lou into the sorting machine to make her go away, but that is just what makes her
want to make him seem so good.

Step 3: Crossing The Threshold 

Evidence: The Grinch crossed the threshold when he ends up going down to the Jubilation,
where Cindy Lou nominated him for (00:34:57).

Explanation: The Grinch nervously went down the mountain to the Jubilation because he has
nothing better to do and for the first time in a long time, was invited to something in the town,
this makes him reconnect with some old friends/enemies.

Step 4: Temptress 

Evidence: In this movie the temptress is when he meets up with his childhood bully, the
Whoville Mayor. The mayor tries to humiliate the Grinch and make him seem worse than he
actually is (00:49:27).
Explanation: At first I thought the Temptress would be his school crush, but then I realized that
more than anything he wanted to be friends with the mayor. They mayor pretends to accept him
but ends up stabbing him in the back several times making him who he was before his heart
grew.

Step 5: Supernatural Aid 

Evidence: This is Cindy Lou, because she is a protective character to the Grinch, and she sticks
up for him when everyone else was against him. Cindy also spent time with the Grinch to find
out who he actually was on the inside, instead of believing what everyone else has said
(00:26:12).

Explanation: Cindy Lou leads the Grinch into the town where he is celebrated and welcomed,
only after Cindy stands up for him. She makes him feel a part of the town, which is all he wants.
Cindy also leads him to becoming a better person which is hat mentors help you do.

Step 6: Meeting With The Goddess 

Evidence: The goddess can be seen as Cindy Lou Who in in the beginning of the movie, but
later on she transforms into his mentor so he can find the true meaning of Christmas.
(00:03:17)

Explanation: Cindy Lou makes the Grinch hide from her because she is curious and not scared
which is comforting to the Grinch, that is why I feel she could be the goddess, as well as the
mentor.

Step 7: The Reward 

Evidence: In the end, the Grinch finds the true meaning of Christmas, and his heart began to
"grow three sizes" (01:24:50).

Explanation: The Grinch's heart growing is a symbol of change, this means that he has
transformed into a new character where he is different than the average person, making him
more of an emphasized hero.

Step 8: Resurrection  

Evidence: The Grinch turns himself into the town and apologizes to Whoville, where they accept
his apology because it's Christmas and they got all their stuff back. (01:33:43).
Explanation: The Grinch's heart grew and he now feels sympathy and guilt, this forces him to
turn himself in, but the police doesn't do anything because the meaning of Christmas isn't about
the gifts and Cindy Lou makes the town realizes this. Then everyone is happy and back to
celebrating because they are all finally together and are happy.